252 SOMETHING ABOUT JELLY-FISHES. 
they all represented the different stages of growth of one 
animal. The Aurelia, for example, gives origin to little 
locomotive eggs ; these, swimming in shoals, finally effect 
lodgments on the rocks, one end becoming attached, and 
the other throwing out little tentacles as in Fig. 1, on 
Plate 8. In this condition they resemble miniature Polyps. 
Gradually they increase in length, and little transverse 
seams, or constrictions, appear on the sides of the body, 
these constrictions deepening, and their edges becoming 
scalloped. (See Plate 8, fig. 2. ) Finally, the seams haye 
deepened to such an extent that their appearance have 
been compared to a pile of saucers, and at last they be- 
come separated one after the other, each turning upside 
down, and swimming off free Jelly-fishes. In this stage 
they are called Ephyra, and are entirely unlike their 
parent in appearance. By the fall they will have attained 
their adult form, and a diameter of twelve or more inches. 
Figs. 3, 4, on the Plate, represents Ephyras in dif- 
ferent stages of growth, a short time after separating from 
the stalk. In spring time the water is alive with them. 
By far the greater number of our smaller Jelly-fishes 
belong to another order called’ Hydrotds, and pass through 
phases of growth equally as strange as those above re- 
counted. The limits of our paper will allow only a few 
words on this group. On the rocks at low water, and 
on floating weed, little moss-like tufts will be found in 
abundance. This plant-like growth, when examined un- 
der a lens, will be seen active with life. The ends of 
the little twigs ‘and offshoots appear as little bell-shaped 
cups, with tentacles studding the free ends like the plates 
of a flower; these are the fixed individuals, and are the 
purveyors of the community. In the spring time little 
_ capsules will be noticed on the twigs, within which are 
